Arthritis Cooking

I just met the most wonderful person. She loves to cook, and she has written a cookbook.

Melinda Winters, author of A Complete Guide to Cooking with Arthritis, is an amazing person. It was 26 years ago that she got sick. She remembers she thought all hope of living a normal life was gone, much less pursuing any of her dreams. She must admits to allowing her disease to define who I was for many years. “I had more pity parties than I care to admit.” confides Melinda. “I gained over 100 pounds.”
Today, she has written two books, won over 50 national recipe contests, cooked off on the food network, worked as an art director in the motion picture industry and was a celebrity interviewer. “I have a wonderful life!” Melinda says.
14 years ago Melinda remembers thinking, “My life was passing me by.” She gathered up her 3 year old and went outside to take a walk.

She then started replacing her breakfast and dinner with a fresh fruit smoothie, but still enjoyed a nice lunch.

At the end of two months, she’d lost over 30 pounds. “The more weight I lost, the better I felt. I joined a support group for arthritis. I began to have dreams and feelings of happiness that had been gone for so long. By the time a year passed, I was 5’9″ tall and 128 pounds of happiness.”

A whopping 100 pounds was gone. “I lost an entire person!”

Self Care For Arthritis Health: Relief Begins At Home

Self Care For Arthritis Health: What can you do to make an arthritis friendly environment?

Minimize stairs; Keep it warm, but not too hot; get a lift chair; drink more water; buy a chlorine filter for your shower; develop a hobby that will keep you moving, but not stress the joints; get outdoors.

Living with arthritis is really a challenge. For the best arthritis health, even mild cases need to take precautions and care. The more you know, the more you do for yourself, the better you will do. Don’t leave it all up to the doctors to keep you comfortable. Do what you can. Together you can affect the effects of arthritis.

• Watch your posture. It is easy to slump, shuffle, and limp. Poor posture only adds to muscle strain, inflammation and stiffness.

• Respect your pain. The body doesn’t hurt for no reason. When there is pain, there is something wrong. Arthritis is wrong. Swelling and inflammation are wrong. Unlike a broken bone or pulled ligament, not moving because of arthritis pain (or discomfort, because there is a difference) is not the answer.

• Learn to use hot or cold packs. Experiment and find what works best for you. Inflammation often responds better to cold, stiffness does best with heat.

• Learn your limits. Slow down your movements. Stretch, walk, take time to extend muscles. Take off unnecessary pressure from joints and back. Yoga and essential oils can work wonders for keeping arthritis from freezing joints.

• CM Complex Cream and/or capsules go a long, long way to relieve stiffness and pain caused from arthritis and reduce the risks of ibuprofen or other NSAIDs.

For more tips of what you can do for arthritis health, The Arthritis Foundation published a very good article on self treatment, “How to Care For Yourself”.  This is a good list with easy, common sense bullet points.  Arthritis is not like other ailments and needs a different approach to management.

Is Knee Joint Replacement REALLY Necessary??

But before you have surgery, have you tried magnetic energy to prepare for surgery?

Yes, that’s right…a magnetic knee brace, something you can wear 24-7 that can actually help reduce inflammation, relieve discomfort, and strengthen knee muscles and help get you ready for successful surgery, and most importantly, …a successful recovery.

The painful physical therapy treatments after knee joint replacements can be minimized by wearing our energizing magnetic brace which enhances flexibility and decreases discomfort after therapy sessions.

The cost is minimal, and the benefits are priceless.

A noteworthy American double-blind, placebo-controlled study on the effects of static magnets on the treatment of arthritis was recently published in the ®MDBR¯Journal of Rheumatology®MDNM¯ (November 1997, p. 1200). The study confirms the effectiveness of magnets in relieving the pain of arthritis.

This study examined the effects of magnetolaser therapy either itself or in combination with conventional drugs in patients suffering from rheumatoid arthritis. Magnetolaser therapy involved the use of an AMLT-01 device and consisted of 6-minute exposures daily over a total of 14 days. Results showed a marked improvement following the first 3 days of magnetolaser therapy, with the strongest positive effects experienced by patients characterized as suffering from mild to moderate levels of the disease. At the end of the magnetolaser therapy course, 90 percent of patients showed improvement.9

9. B.Y. Drozdovski, et al., “Use of Magnetolaser Therapy with an AMLT-01 Apparatus in Complex Therapy for Rheumatoid Arthritis,”

Fiz Med, 4(1-2), 1994, p. 101-102.

….I just thought that was worth sharing.

Arthritis; Healthy People Plan 2010

I think this is important for all of us to know. The National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion is a division of the Centers for Disease Control (CDC). They have set up this information site to aid all of the 46 million people who have been diagnosed. This is such a huge problem they have set up a plan for Healthy People 2010. That’s next year.

Here is their vision and the links to the site.

National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion

Our vision — a world where people with arthritis live the fullest life possible, with the ability to pursue valued life activities with minimal pain.

Our mission — to improve the quality of life of people affected by arthritis.

CDC and its partners are working to implement recommendations in the National Arthritis Action Plan: A Public Health Strategy* (PDF-394K). This landmark public health plan was developed by CDC, the Arthritis Foundation, the Association of State and Territorial Health Officials, and more than 90 other organizations. It recommends a variety of activities to reduce pain, disability, and improve the quality of life of persons affected by arthritis.

Our Goals:

Short-Term Goals

Improve and increase self-management attitudes and behaviors among persons with arthritis.

Increase early diagnosis and appropriate pain management.

Long-Term Goals

Decrease pain and disability among persons with arthritis.

Improve physical, psychosocial, and work function among persons with arthritis.

The first-ever National Objectives for Arthritis (PDF–1.3Mb) are available in the Healthy People 2010 report. More information is available on Healthy People 2010.

Arthritis Knee Pain

Is Knee Joint Replacement REALLY Necessary??

Rheumatoid arthritis is a condition that may be alleviated by knee joint replacement. This chronic inflammation of the joint lining causes pain, stiffness, and swelling. The inflamed lining can invade and damage bone and cartilage. It is not just adults that get rheumatoid arthritis, although it generally starts in middle age, but RA can also affect children and young adults.

Take this little quiz from the Mayo Clinic to see if you are a candidate for a knee joint replacement:

Arthritis pain quiz: Are you controlling your arthritis symptoms?

The decision to have the operation is a highly personal matter, and only you can make that decision. If you are confined to a wheelchair and in constant pain, it is a decision that will be quite easy for you to make, even though the operation (any operation) involves taking a certain amount of risk.

If your disability is great enough, the potential benefits are worth the risk. If your arthritis is responding to conservative measures, and you can still walk long distances without a cane, you don’t need a knee replacement.

The main arguments against waiting too long are:

The longer your arthritis forces you to “sit around” the softer your bones become, and the weaker your muscles.

New Rheumatoid Arthritis Medication. Which One Is For You?

Everywhere you look there is a new rheumatoid arthritis medication, a new rheumatoid arthritis remedy, new rheumatoid arthritis cure, a new treatment…and they all battle to prove they are the best … It is hard not to be skeptical….

BUT Think Complimentary not Alternative Treatment For RA
Rheumatoid arthritis is the most serious of the arthritis-es. Chronic inflammation of the joints that can affect other organs as well. The result is permanent joint deformity and disability.
Why does it have to be either / or ? Maybe working treatments, supplements, diet, and medications together is the real answer… the whole answer.

I’m Back

Well, It’s been a while, but I’m back.

Like 10,000 others, my mother-in-law just died from a perforated intestine.  I’m sure it was from the NSAIDs she has taken over the past 15 years. It was not a fun way to go.  Bless her heart.

My heart breaks because I did not push her to change treatment from ibuprofen for her arthritis.  Everything seemed to be fine.  She felt good as long as she took two in the morning and two at night.  There seemed to be no reason to change.  She was happy with her regiment and was less than enthusiastic when I brought up changing.

Have any of the rest of you had any experience with a loved on on NSAIDs?